Gophers women's basketball: New coach off to Texas to meet pair of recruits

New Gophers women's basketball coach Marlene Stollings will be on the road next week recruiting in Texas.

It will be her first chance to meet a couple of the program's top recruits, Tory Jacobs and Rangie Bessard, who say they are excited about joining the rest of the University of Minnesota's 2014 class.

"I'm looking forward to getting to know coach Marlene like I did coach Pam (Borton)," Bessard said Thursday. "She seems like a very energetic coach. Her style of play is going to be very fun to watch and just be around."

Stollings spoke to all five of her incoming recruits -- including Minnesotans Carlie Wagner and Grace Coughlin -- on the phone after she was officially introduced as Gophers coach April 8.

The two Minnesotans grew up dreaming about playing for the Gophers, so it wasn't surprising that they are sticking with the program. But Bessard, Jacobs and Josie Buckingham of Ohio had to decide whether they still wanted to leave home to play for Stollings and a new staff.

Bessard, who led her Manvel High School team to a 38-2 record and the school's first state championship this year, had schools calling her constantly after Borton was fired March 26.

"It was hectic, and I wasn't prepared for it because I thought all the recruiting was done," the 6-foot forward said. "Everything was overwhelming, and things were just going through my mind. But when the colleges were calling me, I knew I wanted to stay with Minnesota, not only for basketball but for the fact that I wanted to be pre-med.

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They have an awesome pre-med program."

Bessard's family is planning to drive several hours to meet with Stollings next weekend when the Gophers coach is recruiting at the Heart of Texas Showcase in Frisco, Texas. Jacobs is coaching a team of ninth- and 10th-graders at the tournament, so she'll meet Stollings there, too.

Like Bessard, Jacobs, a 5-foot-10 guard who was a first-team all-state selection this season at Irving MacArthur High School, also had other college programs contacting her after Borton was fired.

"But Tory really wants to play with that group of girls," said Jacobs' mother, Sheryce. "She's definitely sticking with her commitment. It was harder for me than for her. She never really wavered on going to another school."

Stollings tried to recruit Buckingham, a 6-5 center from New Richmond, Ohio, as Virginia Commonwealth coach, so they know each other a little bit.

"I spoke to her last Wednesday for a few minutes," Buckingham said. "She just kind of wanted to let me know what was going on. She's still trying to get settled in and get everything together out there. After building a strong relationship with the staff up there, it was kind of hard to wrap my head around (them not) coaching me. But I knew coach Stollings was familiar with me, and I was familiar with her as well."

Briefly

Stollings' first blog post for the Gophers' website Thursday discussed her busy start on the job. "We are working hard to assemble the right staff for this program," she wrote. "Meanwhile, the team is training hard to make sure they are prepared for the upcoming season. With the right staff and a dedicated team, the possibilities are endless for this special group."